What an awesome day for railfanning! Was outside for hours, cycling around in Leverkusen for 26 kilometers (16.25 miles) and ending up with over 400 train shots. Before I talk about this particular photo, I think I'll give you the links to the three threads I posted on DSO today. Some of the photos in those will of course make it onto DA as well.

Thread No. 1 contains 27 photos, starting with some early morning shots, continuing with a visit to the Bender, where a long train of locomotives has arrived for scrapping. There are also quite a few shots of passing locomotives, be it boxy 155s, modern electrics, or this, a classic V200 diesel.

Thread No. 2 contains only three pics, all of them showing the 103 hauled InterCity train that comes through here every week. Tried to get shots of the now complete set of carriages (no more traffic-red ones) as well as a panning shot of the locomotive.

Thread No. 3 with 6 photos was only supposed to contain another attempt at a panning shot, this time of the rush-hour extra train, pulled by a "Bügelfalte" class 110 electric. However, it now also contains an extra half-dozen pics of idiotic trespassers walking around on the tracks like brainless shitmonkeys.

So, this photo then. Was in the middle of shooting an EMU coming the other way, when I heard something honking at me from behind. Saw this beauty heading right towards me, so I whirled around and fired off some shots. As they passed, the guys actually waved to me.

The locomotive is a former V200 of the former Deutsche Bundesbahn (German Federal Railroad) with this specimen having been built in 1957. After being withdrawn from regular service in 1983, it was sold to the Swiss Federal Railroad, and after being retired there as well in 1996, it kept working for several private railroads, till finally, it ended up at the Brohltal-Eisenbahn. Beautifully restored inside and out, it can be seen regularly, mostly hauling trains carrying aluminium slabs, as is the case here.

Back in the day, these were very popular, modern and with that 1950s industrial design that set them apart from most locomotives. Despite actively killing steam, railfans really liked them, as they were both functional, and good looking. Power came from two V12 prime movers, each connected to one bogie through a hydraulic transmission. These were in fact the first diesel-hydraulic mainline locomotives that were built on a large scale in Germany.

Sadly, two prime movers were more expensive to maintain than one, and there was only a steam heating system, so no way of supplying newer carriages with power. As electrification spread quickly, the locomotives were viewed as obsolete, soon disappearing from the roster after less than 30 years of service. Many were sold to other countries, such as Switzerland, Greece, Italy, and even Albania. And to private operators of course. This was actually the first time I saw this green specimen in person, as all the ones you usually see are museum engines, still wearing their classic Bundesbahn livery.